At Terra Natura Benidorm we have started the year with the birth of a baby capuchin monkey (Cebus apella). After a gestation period of 5 months, the small specimen weighs 200 grams and right now he doesn´t leave his mother side to breastfeed during these first months of life.
The parents are Miri, 8 years old, and Gollum, 11 years old. The little capuchin has not been baptized yet by his keepers, but it attracts the curiosity of the rest of the members of the group, made up of 10 other monkeys.

The mother is the first time she has a baby so she is very attentive taking care of him. By instinct, she is placing it in the correct position to be able to feed it. The father is in charge of the protection of the whole group, once he recognises that the baby is his, he tolerates it, and later he will allow him to play with the rest.
Weaning of the baby will happen between 6 and 12 months of age. In this species, young males leave their natal group once they reach sexual maturity. Males are considered sexually mature at seven years; however, females mature earlier and can give birth to their first baby at four years old.

The group of capuchins that live here is led by a dominant male, who is more active in protecting the group from predators and other groups of monkeys.
Capuchins are diurnal and arboreal animals. In addition, they are very social and usually make groups of 8 to 15 monkeys. Young males leave the group at sexual maturity and look for new groups to mate. The main members of a group are therefore the females who normally spend their entire lives in the same group.
This species stands out for a privileged intelligence. It has been proven that in their natural habitat they are able to use stone tools and sticks to solve their basic needs. This does not mean that they build, but rather that they use objects that become their tools. For example, they dig with the help of sticks and crush millipede worms to spread the dust on their backs, as a remedy against insects.